If 49ers return man Ted Ginn was on his way to returning the free kick in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLVII for a winning touchdown, would Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco come off the sideline to tackle him?

That’s what Flacco suggested his teammates do or he would do himself in order to preserve the Super Bowl win. The video provides the sideline banter about discussing the tactic.

Joe Flacco seemed willing to break the rules to prevent a touchdown on the final play of Super Bowl XLVII, if that's what it took to stop Ted Ginn. (AP Photo)

Two things to note here: One, that would be illegal. And two, it’s just plain crazy, unless his suggestion was just a way of keeping teammates calm in a tense situation on the sideline.

If Flacco was serious, his thinking probably stemmed from knowing what it’s like to be so close to the ultimate prize, only for it to be swiped away. His Ravens were a Lee Evans touchdown catch away from reaching last year’s Super Bowl when the reception was stripped out of his hands by Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore in the end zone.

Imagine heartbreak happening two years in a row. It doesn’t make any such thinking right, but at least you could see where he’s coming from.

If Flacco or one of his teammates had made a TD-saving tackle, the officials could have awarded a touchdown anyway. But in the end, the Ravens' special teams unit made the tackle and Baltimore won the Super Bowl.